Allotments 4 All
Produce => Wildlife forum => Topic started by: pigeonseed on August 15, 2009, 21:07:59
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I saw something new in the garden today!
When I was weeding round the base of a tomato plant, the earth shifted in a way that definitely meant an animal was under there - I brushed aside some soil and had a look and it was a toad!
(http://www.wincott.com/images/tomato_hiding_toad.jpg)
It's still out there now.
That tomato plant suffers from snails climbing up the wall and eating the ripe tomatoes - I never have eaten one yet! And I'm guessing that the toad is helping me out a bit there.
Clever don't you think? Toads must observe the habits of their food, and then plan their hunting strategies.
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I wish my frogs were such quick learners... I think I have "remedial" ones... :-X
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oh dear!
Well toads are very common while frogs are becoming rarer - maybe frogs should take note of their bumpy cousins
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toads are more common? i have never seen one, only got frogs around here :( but i'll take what i can get :)
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Toads are great aren't they! We have several in our garden and I love watching them, if you sit outside after some rain in the early evening you can watch them crossing the garden, it gets quite busy out there at times.
A couple of years ago I had a similar surprise and found one had half buried itself in a pot with a geranium.
Saw a frog yesterday on my plot - the 1st I've seen up there so very pleased to know they have found my plot :)
1066
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Yes they waddle about all over the place. A large one with sort of leopard skin markings sits near our back door every night now - I presume catching some insects or slugs.
But the toad in the hole hasn't returned to his hole - I hope I didn't spoil it for him/her!
I've never been lucky enough to have toads or frogs before, and I really like them.
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Yes they waddle about all over the place. A large one with sort of leopard skin markings sits near our back door every night now - I presume catching some insects or slugs.
The larger ones are (usually) the females, when you see a smaller one with darker colouring they will be the males. We're planning a small pond in our garden so they can spawn :)
But the toad in the hole hasn't returned to his hole
;D ;D ;D
1066
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That's nice to know, I didn't know how to tell male and female ones apart.
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:) I love toads, have loads on my lottie of all different ages and sizes,they refuse to use the log piles and shady safe places I have made for them,
they prefer to go in my greenhouses which bake during the day and live in my tomato and melon grow bags, I also have newts in my tomato pots which are quite high... can they climb? / shades x
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:) I love toads, have loads on my lottie of all different ages and sizes,they refuse to use the log piles and shady safe places I have made for them,
they prefer to go in my greenhouses which bake during the day and live in my tomato and melon grow bags, I also have newts in my tomato pots which are quite high... can they climb? / shades x
wow! you are lucky.
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Yesterday I found one in my walk-in coldframe, nice and fat and must have been finding enough bugs somehow to stay alive. There is no water in there which concerns me so I tried to catch him to carry him out but no luck.
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:) they only need water to breed in GrannieAnnie it must like it in your coldframe / shades x
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Angle Shades - I love the story about the newt! I only tend to see them when I uncover or move something around on the plot.
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1066 :) my newt is still in my tomato pot, she comes out and looks at me when I pick the toms, she's in the Gardeners Delight pot,every time I pick a tomato I'm scared others will fall and squish her ::)/ shades x
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aawwww :D
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I have lots of toadlets on site, thought they might be frogs but they are getting more toadlike by the day.
But I have never seen a newt out of water. That is great. Can you put some kind of cover across the top of the pot to stop the tomatoes falling on the newt.
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:) Nancy the Newt was missing today ;but doesn't appear to have been squished by a Gardeners Delight ;D/ shades x
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I don't know what Nancy's up to.
Yesterday I found a small toad (maybe the ex-tomato one) in the compost heap, buried under compost and another large speckled one strolling around under the squash plants (just stretching its legs)
I wonder how many there are, and I think it's a shame that, if I keep on taming the garden, there'll be less space for them. (there's loads of dense bindweed and dock plants)
I think it will have to be done gradually, so until the garden plants get large, I'll keep some large weeds.
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here's wishing Nancy all the best in her new life and location :D
PigeonSeed - the toads in our garden seem to find all sorts of dark/damp corners to hide in, never quite sure where exactly they overwinter. But then our garden is certainly not pristine!!
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I sometimes find them hiding under the mulch. Toads don't seem to mind bare soil as long as they've got a hiding place. Frogs don't like being away from thick vegetation.
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:) Nancy has been missing for almost a month now ,
I 'm now growing mushrooms in the greenhouse, and guess what,full of toads ;D/ shades x
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I picked a toad up a couple of weeks ago to move it from where I wanted to dig and it squirted me lol.
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I picked a toad up a couple of weeks ago to move it from where I wanted to dig and it squirted me lol.
Blimey I never knew that !
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Neither did I until then.... made me jump a bit!
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I'v got frogs in the garden and toads on the allotment ! I saw a toad the other day when i was hoeing ,thought it was a lump of earth and very nearly brought the hoe down on it to break it up :o saw it just in time, shall have to be carefull in the future
marg
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blimey that was a near miss!
I think they have been enjoying the recent rain as I've seen them pottering about in it :D
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:) went to my brothers yesterday and he has frogs in his garden, I took some photos but I can't warm to frogs like I can toads.. I just want to pick toads up and snuggle them because they are soooooooooo cute ( and I do ;D) and they pose for photos ::) ;D / shades x